Ghanaian released after pleading guilty to manslaughter

A man who brutally killed a mother and her unborn child has been let out of a secure mental institution just five years after committing the horrific acts – without the victim’s family being told.

Abiodun Ilumoka was beaten and stabbed to death by her illegal immigrant boyfriend Ben Anabah at the home they shared in Essex Road in 2008. Anabah was detained indefinitely after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of pregnant Abi, 40, but her relatives were left stunned after discovering he has been on escorted leave from the hospital a number of times this year – and have now launched a campaign to change the law surrounding such cases.

Yemi Ilumoka, Abi’s sister, said: “We could not believe it when we found out. We feel that there has not been any justice for us whatsoever.”

Speaking exclusively to the Gazette, Abi’s family told how their lives have been ripped apart by the killing and that they feel completely let down by the justice system.

The relatives also fear for their safety and that of their mother due to Anabah, 36, knowing where they live.

At his original sentencing, the judge ordered that Anabah should be deported back to his native Ghana if he was ever released.

Despite that, the killer was able to apply for a review into his detention just six months after his conviction – meaning Abi’s family has been forced to relive the whole case again.

Yemi said: “We were told we should write a victim impact statement which meant going through the pain again. We had no idea this would happen every year.” He continued: “Not one person told us that he had even applied for escorted leave until one day I rang to find out about something else.

“I was absolutely shocked when I found out what had happened. Nobody has ever told us which hospital he is being held at but we did hear it was one place in north London.

“If it is then it is even worse as my sister does some work there occasionally. Imagine what could happen if they bumped into each other.”

The Gazette understands that Anabah’s escorted leave has been cancelled following a complaint from the family.

The family is now campaigning for a change in the law which entitles people with mental disorders and convicted of manslaughter to have their detention reviewed every year.

Yemi said: “This should not be happening. There should not be the case where someone commits a horrible crime such as this can then get out a short while after their conviction.”

The Ministry of Justice would not comment on individual cases.